2. Translate the following words and word combinations using a dictionary:

store's inventory, customer records, selection of wines, common, row, vintage, heading, rather, item, multiple adj, internal, simultaneously

3. Read and translate the text:

A database program, or database management system, may be seen as an electronic filing system that is equivalent to a card index, but permits automated searches. It is an application which is used to store, maintain and access data. Database pro­grams, such as Access, are very often used for large and complex data sets, such as a library catalogue, a store's inventory or a company's customer records.

Diagram shows two databases on one DBMS.

The word database can be used to describe: a) a large collection of data held on a computer (in one or many files); b) a database program.

We've set up a database of all the information we got from questionnaires we collected during the study. I know how to use a few computer programs – word processing, email and databases.

Databases use fields and records to organize data. A field is one category of information, and a record is a collection of fields. For example a record about a person may include fields such as name, date of birth, occupation and address. Using the analogy of a card index, a record is equivalent to an individual card, a field is equivalent to a category of information that is common to all cards and the database file is equivalent to the set of all cards. The data is displayed in the form of tables. A table may contain, for example, information about a selection of wines. The records would show the details about individual wines, usu­ally shown horizontally in the table in rows. The fields would be information about the wine, such as its name, the vintage, the place of production, and so on. The field headings appear at the top of each column of the table.

Databases often have special forms which can be used to enter data. These look rather like paper forms, with boxes that can be filled in. The information in a database form is checked when it is entered in the boxes. For example, in the box which asks for a person's age, a form would only accept a number. Reports are often used to print out the contents of a database. A report is a way of presenting selected parts of a database for­matted in a table. It is possible for the user to query the data­base (ask it for information). This is achieved using a query, which is a simple program that extracts information from one or more tables in a database.

It is also possible to use databases for sorting records, which means arranging records in a particular order. For example a database of customers could be sorted by date of birth or by alphabetical order.

There are several types of database. The two main types are the following:

1. A flatfile (or flat-file or flat) database is a database which stores data simply as items, without giving the data an internal structure. All of the information is often stored in one very large table, which means that the database may take long­er to find information. Flatfile databases are simple to set up, but less efficient at finding information than relational data­bases are.

2. A relational database stores data in multiple tables, which are connected or linked together. Any one piece of informa­tion in a relational database can be related to any other piece of information in the database. This is probably the most common type of database.

3. A distributed database is a database that is spread out over several computer systems. This means that several users working on a local area network can access the same database simultaneously.

Structured Query Language (SQL) is the standard compu­ter language used for getting information from and updating a relational database. SQL is pronounced like the word 'sequel' /'siikwel/. SQL can be used in distributed databases

4. Give the Russian equivalents to the following words and phrases:

electronic filing system, card index, to access data, complex data set, word processing, occupation, appear, at the top, box, to check, to enter, to accept, report, to achieve, to extract information, a particular order, a flatfile database, a relational database, to spread out, Structured Query Language (SQL)

5. Give the English equivalents to the following words and phrases:

система управления базами данных, позволять, автоматизированный поиск, содержать, приложение, хранить данные, поле, запись, библиотечный каталог, создавать, таблица, горизонтально, строка, столбец, заголовок, распечатывать, содержание, запрос, сортировать, в алфавитном порядке, многочисленный, локальная сеть, одновременно, распределенная база данных, заполнять

6. Answer these questions about the text:

1. What kind of software are database programs?

2. What are database programs used for?

3. What do databases use for organizing data?

4. When is query used?

5. Enumerate the main types of database.

6. Is SQL used for storing information?

7. Give some examples of databases.

7. Match the synonyms

1. to permit	a. several
2. to use	b. to gather
3. to store	c. to arrange
4. data	d. to allow
5. programs	e. to hold
6. occupation	f. to look for
7. to collect	g. software
8. a few	h. to employ
9. to organize	i. information
10. to search	j. job